No place for 35 young people in May with Tusla under pressure 

A report by Tusla said a total of 126 children and young people around the country who were assessed as requiring a residential care placement but "due to lack of capacity, these young people were placed on a waiting list until a suitable residential care placement is available". File picture

The Child and Family Agency has said 35 young people did not have a suitable placement in May as pressure on residential and other placements continues.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that more than 100 vulnerable young people in need of an emergency placement had to be accommodated in hotels last year — including two children under the age of four — because of a lack of capacity within Tusla's national out-of-hours service.

A report by Tusla said a total of 126 children and young people around the country who were assessed as requiring a residential care placement but "due to lack of capacity, these young people were placed on a waiting list until a suitable residential care placement is available".

The problem has persisted, exacerbated by an influx in unaccompanied minors entering the country, most of whom have fled the war in Ukraine.

A spokesperson for Tusla said that of the 5,860 children in care at the end of last March, more than 905 were living in family settings with foster carers around the country, which compares favourably by European standards, while 7% were in residential care and 3% were in other placements such as supported lodgings, disability services, or a detention centre.

"However, it is a reality that for a small number of young people — for example 35 in May 2022 — we are challenged to find a suitable placement due to their complex needs, or the availability of a foster carer, or residential placement," the spokesperson said.

"These young people are supported in an emergency place of safety, supported by staff on site and an allocated social worker who works with the young person and their network of support to plan for a more appropriate placement."

Tusla's capacity has come under increasing pressure in recent years and is to be addressed by new strategies being developed for foster, residential and alternative care, it said.

"We are also engaging with other external stakeholders to strengthen our integrated working to better meet the needs of young people who have experienced significant trauma and have more complex needs," the spokesperson added.

The strategic report published by Tusla earlier this year showed there were 117 placements of children and young people in emergency hotel accommodation in the first 11 months of last year, with the Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon, among those expressing concern at the situation.

In late July, Tusla has said it was dealing with an "unprecedented" situation regarding unaccompanied children arriving here, not just from Ukraine.

It said at that time that 386 referrals had been received since the start of the year, with 167 of those children in the care of the State.

Tusla chief executive Bernard Gloster said in July of the situation: "We are starting to see a pressure on care placements, there is no disputing that."